Twelve Roses
by DanteUesugi
Summary: As one of the least popular kids in school, Envy is used to finding stupid pranks in his locker. But he really wasn't expecting the roses. So, this leads to a new dilemma: to trust or not to trust. EdxEnvy, AU Happy Valentine's Day!
1. Rose One

**Twelve Roses**

Rose One:  
_The Unexpected_

When I opened my locker on the morning of February the fourteenth, I found flowers. Eleven red roses tumbled onto the floor, each one perfectly shaped-thornless, velvety, , I dropped to my knees and scooped them up, shoving them back onto the shelf where they had rested. Rumors have a tendency to spread like wildfire around Amestris Prep, and I don't want to attract any more attention than I already have.

Once I finished unpacking, I took a moment to examine one of the flowers.I can't understand why someone would have gone to the effort (and expense) of buying me-the school outcast-an exquisitely beautiful gift. If anything, I would expect a rainbow flag, the newest _Style! _magazine, or another cruel device aiming at mocking my social status.

Maybe they had put some itching powder in them, or something. Carefully, I peel back a vibrant petal. After finding that there wasn't anything suspiciously wrong with it, or nothing that I can see anyway, was safe to say that it was alright. Giving a half shrug, I placed the rose back into my locker, letting it join with the rest of the batches.

They were probably planted by some idiot jock who thought my confusion would be amusing enough. I'm probably being watched right now by a gaggle of football players and their cheerleading sycophants, giggling at every frown I make.

Now _that's_ enough to put anyone off their lunch.

Shrugging once again, this time less noticeably in case anyone's watching, I shut my locker (not that it matters - with a well-placed punch, anyone can open these crap doors) and turn away, slowly and reluctantly heading to my homeroom. Luckily, I don't pass many people in the hall. It's only seven thirty and since school starts at eight fifteen, most of the buses haven't arrived yet. Not that it makes any difference. It's just easier to get around when I'm not being gaped at like an animal in the zoo.

My homeroom was located in room 502, with Dr. Marcoh. He makes a point not to arrive earlier than eight o'clock, but he does leave his door open for people like me with nowhere else to go. He's not worried about vandalism or delinquency because of the two security cameras placed pointedly in each corner of the 's an ongoing bet on whether they actually work, but so far, no one has tested them. Out of custom, I gave a casual wave to one of them before I sat down in my back corner desk.

Sighing, I slumped low in my desk, drawing my jacket tightly around my shoulders. I rested my chin on the cold desk, letting greenish hair fall in front of my eyes and trying not to think.

Two years ago, I was one of the most popular kids at school. Since, even back then, I modeled for my mother's clothing line (_Syn_, by Dante), and because of my wealth, I had no shortage of admirers. Not all of them were girls, either. One of them was the most handsome boy at school: Roy Mustang.

Maybe he was interested in my money. Or maybe it was my carefully cultivated 'androgyné' that intrigued him. Either way, something tempted Roy to seek me out. As we grew closer, I found myself utterly, completely, and irrevocably in love with him.

Roy seduced me with promises, caresses, whispers in the dead of night as we shared his bed. And while I wasn't looking, he leached everything else away: my virginity, my dignity, my reputation, my self-respect; everything was made to serve him.I didn't care who saw us snogging in the hallways - I assumed they were just jealous. I didn't care who stared at my locker, papered with candid (and not-so-candid) photos of him in everything from my mom's latest tailored suit to his boxers.I ignored the whispers as I passed - I was lucky to be with Roy, and I assumed that's what 'they' were saying.

We were going to get married, we were going to have kids, we were going to live together in a beautiful mansion on the seashore. I didn't care that the first part of my plan was legally impossible or that the second part was physically impossible - I was in love!

But all good things came to an , Roy graduated, and I never saw him again. All his promises were empty, all his kisses were fake, and he dumped me like a worn out sock-with no remorse whatsoever.

At first, I managed to convince myself that he had ran into some difficulties, that he would be back for me as soon as he had found somewhere to live, that his mother was deathly ill and he needed to tend to her like the good son he was. After one month turned into four, and school began again, I slowly realized that he wouldn't be coming back.

It was then that I found out what the whispers had been about, and why people stared.I actually listened when I walked through campus (without Roy), and understood just how malicious high schoolmates could be.

_"There goes that queer."_

_______"The one that was Roy's sex slave."_

_________"I heard he was hitting on the football team in the lockers."_

___"I heard he gives the teachers blow jobs after school so they'll let him pass."_

___"I heard his mother lets him sell himself if he gives her half the money."_

'I heard', 'I heard', 'I heard'. Half of the stuff wasn't even true! I didn't even know where most of the rumors started, and I honestly didn't want to find out. Even my former friends started behaving strangely towards me, and finally, I gave up on having any friends at most common nicknames became 'faggot', 'queer', 'homo', et cetera. I answered to all of them. Why not? Did I honestly have anything to lose?Since then, I've become the biggest exile in the eleventh grade.

Ironically, as a model, I have an entire fan club made up of mostly thirteen-year-old girls. What's the use of that when so-called mature sixteen year olds won't even talk to me?

I have these same thoughts every night. They don't change anything-I'm still thought to be Roy's bitch and Roy's not even here anymore.

Maybe I'm still in love with him even though I try to get rid of him from all my thoughts. Though I still have one of my favorite pictures of him tucked safely inside my laptop case. And his cell phone is still number two on my speed dial. Just in case. Sometimes I wish he would call me and say it was all a mistake and that he still loves me more than anyone does. Other times, I wish I could just forget about him altogether.

When I open my eyes again, wrenching myself away from the memories, I find that the room has started to fill in with people. According to the clock, it's ten past eight, meaning that it was almost time for the class to start.

My eyes roved from clique to clique-nerds, goths, preps, jocks-and it finally settled on the one group that you would find in every school-the group that are made up of all beautiful people. For some reason, they tend to gravitate with one another. I wonder if they feel that they can only be understood by having to associate with someone who is as pretty as them.

In the center of the clump, my former friend Russell seems to be in the middle of an animated discussion with Edward Elric. Both of them are blonde and mostly Aryan, but my eyes landed on the shorter of the two which is Ed. His hair looks especially nice today for some reason, even though it's styled up in his customary braid. He seems more alive than usual too, especially this early in the morning.

Maybe he asked one of his prospective girlfriends out to the Valentine's dance, which for some reason is next week. He has three that are vying for his attention: Winry, a wrench-toting, feisty blonde who's one of his best friends; Rose, a shy, two-toned brunette with a strong religious bent; and Noah, a Bohemian-dressing hippie with self-esteem issues.

Do I sound like a stalker? I suppose I do pay more attention to Ed than anyone else in the beautiful group, probably because he's never made it a habit of taunting me... to my face, at least. I wouldn't put it past him if he had half a chance. But right now, he's the one I have the least animosity towards. And, in my opinion, he's definitely the prettiest.

Prickling on the back of my neck alerts me to the fact that others in the room are staring at me because I was pointedly staring at Edward. Blushing awkwardly, I look back down at my beaten up desk. There's the start of another rumor that will only grow with the telling.

The slight awkwardness ended as the bell rings, signaling the start of the day. Surprisingly, Dr. Marcoh isn't here. He's usually never late, so this leads me to think that he's sick today. Already, some of the more rebellious students are glancing at the door, then the cameras, then the door again, debating whether to simply walk out and ditch, or to stay here like good little lambs.

For my part, I stayed. If I risked wading through the sea of hostility, I would be mobbed. Or something. The bitches can't wait to get a piece of this ass.

With that thought, some of my old spunkiness comes back. However, my phoenix-like spirit is quickly crushed back into the ashes as a substitute teacher walks into the room- Basque Gran. How I hate that man. Along with being a close-minded, arrogant son of a bitch and he's also my great uncle on my mother's side.

Meaning he's known me (almost) from birth, he knows all the nasty rumors about me (and helps spread them, probably), and he knows where I live. What luck.

I hunch down further in my seat (along with most of the class - Gran definitely has more enemies than admirers) and hope he won't notice me as he silently takes roll. I can see when he's read my name because his eyebrows raise and his mouth twists into a despicably self-satisfied smirk.

He probably thought today would be another boring day with few opportunities for torture. I guess I just brightened it up a little. Thankfully, homeroom only lasts fifteen minutes-after that, I'm free to run away as fast as I can.

---

Surprisingly, I make it to lunch without any major mishap. I'm still expecting something bad to happen, since it is Valentine's Day, but at least I've gone through the first four periods of the day without making a total fool of myself.

Even though I'm waiting for my good luck to come back and bite me in the ass, I've calmed down a little bit. Maybe I'm just being an egotist. Maybe, since it's a day for love and romance, my tormenters will be too obsessed with their paramours to notice 'lil old me.

And maybe pigs will fly.

I walk out of line holding my lunch warily, keeping an eye out for the occasional foot that seems to stalk me wherever I go, just waiting for me to trip up. My table is in the back of the cafeteria. It used to be home to the stoners and the other outcasts, but they left when I started sitting with them.

I guess I am lower than dirt here. Should I start calling myself 'pond scum'? "Hello ladies and gentlemen, my name is Envy, and I'm probably the prettiest pond scum you'll ever meet." Haha. I guess I'm really nervous today. Normally I'm not so corny.

I suppose it was the roses that got me so strung-up. I know there's a catch. People like me don't get flowers stuffed in their lockers unless it's for some kind of joke.

Edward has just gotten out of line. To my surprise, he passes the beautiful-popular table in the front and walks down the row of shoddy benches. I wonder why. Did he and the rest of them have some kind of fight? Probably. Russell didn't look too pleased when homeroom ended. In fact, he stalked out of the room like some kind of spoiled diva.

Quickly, before Ed sees me watching him, I duck my head back down and poke a bit at my food. I don't want him to think that I was actually hoping for him to come sit with me, because I wasn't. I don't want anything to do with the stupid cliques at Amestris.

However, my curiosity won't leave me alone, so I hesitantly peek out from under a curtain of hair. He's already passed the drama geek table... now he's walking past the band... he even passed the stoner freshmen! Is he just going to leave?

But in a stunning turn of events, he does the one thing I never even dared to consider. He walks up to me, and asks, in his voice that sounds like melted chocolate, "Can I sit here?"

What can I do but nod? If I speak, all of this might vanish like a bad dream, but if I don't do anything, he might decide I'm not worth his time.

But if I sound too eager, and everything is some cruel joke, I'll have just set myself up. So my head bobs up and down of its own accord, and he takes a seat.

After five minutes pass in silence, part of me wants to say 'Well, this is awkward'. The other half is clamping its fingers over its mouth and trying not to do anything that would scare Ed away. And so I wait for him to speak, awash with indecision. First of all, why is he sitting with me? It's something to do with the roses, right? What else can it be? He's going to say the punch line, and his friends that are oh-so-conveniently hidden somewhere will burst out and start laughing.

Maybe one of them will even snap a picture of my hurt and devastated face. For posterity, you know. But he sits, contemplating his mashed potatoes but not really eating them. I do the same-I'm afraid that he'll run away if I move.

Finally, he speaks. "Well, this is awkward." he states, giving me a crooked smile.

Woah, that's just what I was going to say. I want to reply with something witty and original, but my throat is dry. Something about this conversation strikes me as suspicious.

For one, Ed's being unusually gentle. Normally, he's all over the place-self-confident, outgoing, cheerful, et cetera. (You know the type: student council treasurer, favorite of all the teachers, a member of every single club at school.) Now he seems oddly subdued, as though he's trying not to scare me away. Yeah right. I wonder what his friends told him before daring him to come sit with me.

Probably something along the lines of: 'Don't make the psycho-faggot mad, or he'll come and rape you in the parking lot after school'. Whatever it was, he's treading really carefully around me now. So what else can I do but imitate him? I shrug elegantly in response.

The silence envelops us for another five tongue-tied minutes (How long until his friends give him the signal?), and finally I can't help it. The question that I've been waiting to ask ever since I saw him walking towards me bursts out of my mouth. "W-why are you here?" I ask, hating myself for the croak in my rarely used voice.

It's his turn to shrug and... Is that a blush I see on his face? "I was wondering if you liked the roses." he said quietly, ducking his head so his golden bangs swing across his face and hide his eyes, probably from shame, I think.

I knew it had to be something to do with those stupid, stupid flowers. I knew Ed wouldn't be coming to talk to me of his own accord because he thought that I was worth knowing, or something. But I had let myself hope, for a minute or two, that he was actually trying to get to know me, Envy, the pond scum. Apparently, I was wrong.

I get to my feet as quickly as I can, knocking my chair down loudly in the process. My hands slam down on the table with as much force as I can muster, causing Ed to jump.

"Why is it always about the damn jokes?!" I hear myself shouting. "Yeah, okay, maybe 'Tease the Faggot' was hilarious the first time, but it gets kind of old by the forty-second time, y'know? Can't you all just leave me alone?!"

My throat feels rough from screaming-I must have been loud-as I grab my backpack and speed out of the cafeteria. I see everyone, even the lunch-ladies, staring, Ed looking the most shocked of all. But I don't have time to cater to their need for drama, because my eyes are quickly filling with frustrated tears and I need to find a quiet place where I can bawl my eyes out.

Somehow, I managed to find my way to a secluded corner - behind the science building near the back of the school. It's nice and solitary, and it's where I go when life gets too much for me (actually, surprisingly, that's not often). I wedge myself into the small space between the side of the building and the wall, wrapping my hands around my knees and digging my nails into my thighs.

I'm not really angry at Ed, per se. I'm mostly angry at myself, for hoping that maybe today I would be accepted, that those roses were some kind of admiring gesture; that Ed wasn't another of those sheep-like idiots who went along with the crowd in making fun of the queer.

I hate myself for the tears leaking out of my eyes. I can't believe I'm so weak. I can't believe that I thought Ed would actually talk to me for myself. (And, deep down, I can't believe he didn't.) All his friends are probably congratulating him right now. Wasn't it brave of him, to talk to Envy all by himself? Wasn't it great, how he made that faggot storm out of the cafeteria? Isn't Ed just amazing?

My breath forms a cloud in the frosty air. It's so cold that my tears are actually getting uncomfortable, and the cement sidewalk, along with being gritty, is freezing. Warmth slowly leaches out of my body.

Maybe I'll turn into an icicle here, and when Ed grows up he can bring his kids to come and look at me.

"Here's the least popular kid at my high school. He went out and froze himself after I talked to him. You can poke him a bit, if you want."

Hilarious, Ed. Aren't you such the joker? I bet it makes you feel good when you crush the homo's spirit. Does it give you a rush? Does it turn you on? Do you feel like such a big man now that I'm sitting here sobbing and you're inside the warm and cozy cafeteria?

I can't help the laugh that bubbles up when I realize I'm holding an imaginary conversation with Edward.

I guess I liked him more than I thought. Hastily, I drag my sleeve across my face to wipe away the signs of my crying. I'm being ridiculous. Stuff much worse than this has happened to me, right? I don't need to make a big deal of a bunch of roses and a half-broken heart, right?

My eyes are probably all bloodshot and goopy - I look awful when I cry. Getting up stiffly, I let out a shuddering sigh and, keeping my head down, walk into the science building bathrooms.

Yup, I was right. The little veins in my grey-violet eyes are all red and inflamed, my nose is runny, and my face a nasty, blotchy red. Hell, even my hair is drooping. So much for being a model. I look like death warmed over - one of those old-lady sayings.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, I hear a stall door creak open.

Immediately, I whirl around to face the threat, bracing myself against the sink. Some of the worst bullying happens in bathrooms (for me, anyway), and I've gained such a deep paranoia here that I jump at any suspicious sound.

The noise turns out to come from the stall nearest to the sink, which Ed is just exiting. When he sees me, he freezes, and we stare at each other for an interminable length of time.

I'm not sure which is worse - seeing Ed here, or seeing some gigantic jock who thinks I came in to spy on him. Right now, I'm leaning towards picking Ed. After all, if it were a football player with something to prove, I would at least be able to run.

But now I stand here like a deer in headlights. He knows I've been crying - the fact is written across my face, clear as day. And he no doubt knows why I was crying. Well, more power to him. I just wish he would do something or say something so I could snap out of this freaky tableau.

Finally, he opens his mouth to speak. "Envy," he says, and it sounds like honey. His voice is enough to break me out of my paralysis, and in a flash, I'm running towards the door. I won't let him complete their joke, I won't give Ed and his friends the satisfaction. And I won't, I definitely won't let Ed see any of my weaknesses again.

"Envy, wait!" he calls after me, but I've already shoved my way through the thick wooden door. He sounds desperate, I note, in the part of my mind that isn't occupied with fleeing like a frightened rabbit. For some reason, he really wants to tell me what the roses were supposed to mean (as if I don't know, already). Maybe it was a dare. Maybe he's being paid.

"Hey, Ed! I'll give you fifty bucks if you give Envy-the-faggot roses! You just need to take a picture of his face when you tell him it was all a joke." Something like that.

But I don't need him to tell me that. I can figure it out for myself, thank you very much.

---

I've never been happier to hear the bell ring for the end of the day. Now I can finally get back home, where there aren't any beautiful, blonde-haired boys stalking me. I hurried towards my locker, taking the roses and stuffing them in my backpack-fully intending to toss them in the nearest trashcan before they can stank up my books. Afterwards, I jogged through the halls and into the chilly February air.

To my chagrin, he's waiting outside, chatting amiably with Winry. I try to dodge back into the halls since I'd rather risk stumbling into the clutches of a vengeful jock than confront him but he looks up just in time, and our eyes meet.

I froze as soon I made contact with his mesmerizing topaz eyes. How does he do it? It's as if he has some kind of power over me when we make eye contact, and I couldn't move or turn away even if I tried. Inwardly, I was truly panicking.

My mind was running in circles like a little hamster runs on their wheel: fight or flight, stay or go, predator or prey. If I had a choice right then, I would have liked to run, I really would. I'd like to hightail it back through the school and sprint the five blocks back home, but I can't. My body's immobilized as he walks closer, still smiling that damnable gorgeous smile.

"Look, Envy," he says, (completely blowing off Winry to come and talk to me) and his voice sounds so earnest I find myself wanting to trust him. But I can't let him get to me like that because if I even think for one moment that he's serious, I'll end up being hurt worse than before.

Miraculously, my feet regained some will to move and began shuffling backwards, back through the door. I see Ed's eyes widen before some freshman plows into me and throws me to the floor at his feet.

Wincing, I bite my lip. It feels like I just ran into by a steam train. My knees hurt like hell and they're probably bleeding, and my palms were stinging. Slowly, blinking away tears from the sudden blow to my head, I find my way back to my feet, ignoring Ed's offered hand. I'm still a bit hunched from the throbbing in my knees, and I can tell I'm not going to get anywhere fast.

He's looking at me with so much sympathy in his amber eyes that I think I could puke. It's all fake, anyway.

But my heart still thaws a bit when he asks, "Are you all right, Envy?" He said my name again, and I can feel my poor abused knees start to tremble.

I make a snap decision to be brave. I know it'll cost me, eventually, but right now I'm tired of this crap, I'm in pain and I just want to get the hell out of here.

"Look. If you want to tell me exactly what was so funny about you and your asshole friends stuffing roses in my locker, go right ahead. And if you want to get a picture of my face when I hear the punch line, I think I have a camera in here somewhere." I slide a backpack strap off one of my shoulders and make a show of rummaging through it.

Of course, I don't actually carry around a camera. But I'm hoping he'll get the point anyway.

And he does. I see his eyes widen (with surprise, probably - didn't think I was that sharp, did you?), and he bites his lip, taking a step back from me. Good. It was hard for me to think when he was standing that close.

"Envy," he says in his voice like caramel, and the puppy dog look on his face makes me want to break down completely, wrap my arms around his neck, and cry. "The roses weren't a joke."

He's so serious that I'm sent into a flurry of conjectures. He is confessing that the roses were real, meaning that he wants me to think that they were actually a gesture of fondness. This means he either wants me to believe that he likes me, or that someone else does. And, if he's the one that bought them, it means he's not afraid of telling me his 'feelings' in front of people like Winry, who is watching us curiously.

So... either he's sincere about this, or all his friends are in on this marvelous joke. I'm voting the latter but... it can't be that simple. No school celebrity in their right mind would stake their entire reputation on a plot to crush my spirit, right? Unless the whole school is in on it with them...

"Envy?" he asks, probably worried with my sudden stillness. But I can't reply to him now, I'm too busy arguing with myself. Do I dare take the chance and believe him? Am I brave enough to put my heart on the line, and possibly be dropped and forgotten... again?

I don't think so. I don't think I could survive a broken heart again. I fall too deeply in love with people and I can't let myself do that again. But then again, by not believing him, I may be making the biggest mistake of my life. After all, the ultimate risk is not taking a risk, and Ed sounds so damn earnest.

Maybe, just maybe, he's telling the truth. I'll give him a chance, but I won't give him my heart. Not yet, anyway. So, instead of running away again, I'm the one that initiates eye contact.

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing fully well what he means but I still gave him time to confirm it.

"I mean..." Ed pauses and his cheeks grow pink-is he blushing, or is it just from the cold? "I like you. And I want you to go with me to the dance."

He smiles at me again, and in his eyes I can see the pleading. Will he be embarrassed if I flat-out refuse? I could take revenge on all the popular kids by simply saying 'No'. If he's serious, that is.

But I've decided to take the bait and pray he means it. What else can I do but nod and smile as though I've won some kind of popularity lottery? My heart speeds up from a sudden adrenaline rush at the risk I'm taking and maybe, just a little bit, at the way his face lights up when I accept.

"Great!" Ed replies with heartfelt relief. I guess he's never asked a guy out before, which isn't very surprising. Suddenly, he makes an 'o' shape with his mouth. Quickly, he pulls off his backpack and takes out a rose.

He holds out the perfect burgundy blossom and I accept it with chilled fingers, admiring its flawless curves.

"There. That makes a dozen roses. I was keeping this one so I could give it to you in person," he explains, and it's so corny that I can't help but smile-for real this time.

"Thank you," I say with wholehearted gratitude. Then, clutching the rose with one hand and simply dropping my bag, I wrap my arms around him in a hug. He feels so warm and perfect, and as he holds me and hesitantly reciprocates the embrace, I realize just how long it's been since someone held me like this. That thought alone is enough to make me cry as I nuzzle my chilled nose into his neck.

I suppose I'm squeezing too hard, and I've probably crossed several invisible lines for a first-time hug, but it feels so right.

That's when I realized that I had already began to give Ed my heart before he tried to gain it. And although I'm still afraid he'll end up betraying me, I can't be anything but loyal. I feel like I've just stepped off the diving board. I'm dropping like a stone, and someone had better be there to catch me at the bottom. Because I don't think I can survive the fall on my own.


	2. Rose Two

**Twelve Roses**

Rose Two:

_ A New Life Begins_

Edward had told me he was going to pick me up around 6:00, since the dance started at 7:00. Happy-as-can-be wasn't even the words to describe how I feel. All my emotions are in a blender, making me feel slightly queasy. It's 5:48. I have never wanted the time to go faster ever in my solitary life.

I was dressed in a Syn designed suit. All black with a violet tie to match my eyes. My dress shoes were black with a slick under-tone. I was staring at myself in my bedroom, home alone yet another night. My hair was tied in a ponytail, giving me a relaxed look, not that I was. Butterflies were flying in my stomach to no end. I sighed.

"This is ridiculous." I said, out-loud. Although he's going out of the way to do this, Edward must be playing a trick on me, or something. I mean, why else would he ask out the schools biggest gay outcast? Because he wanted to trick me, that's why. But even so, my heart was slowly falling for him. I felt tears swell in my eyes as I remembered the pain I went through. This isn't the time to feel pity for myself. Looking up, I blinked the tears away. I looked at the clock above my bedroom door, reading 6:01.

I left my bedroom to go downstairs in the living room. Watching T.V. was a lot better than thinking about 'Him'. I plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. I turned on the T.V. The news automatically came on, talking about the weather. It was freezing outside, especially around this time.

"Winter+wind=cold and windy. Simple as that." I muttered to myself, summarizing the forecast. If it was raining, everything would be perfect. I despised the cold with a passion. The cold was for animals who could survive in it, not for humans who needed warmth and non-snowed-on houses and cars.

*_Ding Ding Ding* _Hearing the doorbell ring took me out of my musings of how the woman, talking about the local news now, looked strangely familiar. I got up and walked to the door. I placed my hand on the doorknob, thinking about turning it, but didn't. What if it wasn't Ed on the other side of the door but some jock who stole my address and thought it would be fun to beat him up in his own home (Before I left school, Ed asked for my address so I wrote it on a piece of notebook paper and gave it to him).

*_Ding Ding Ding*_

"Hey Envy, you in there?" Ed sounded desperate, maybe he thought I stood him up. I sighed and opened the door.

"S-sorry about that." I was stunned at how handsome Ed looked. He was dressed in all black, to his tie, to his shoes. He had another dozen of roses in his hand.

"These are flowers officially for Valentine's Day." He smiled softly and passed the flowers to me. I took them, at the same time inviting him in. He walked in, taking his shoes off at the entrance.

"You could take a seat at on the couch," Ed took a seat, looking around in astonishment, I think. "Um, wait a second while I put these," I held up the roses." In my room." I turned and went up stairs.

Opening the room to my door, I started to panic. I kept breathing in and out, barely feeling any better. I have never felt so scared in my life, except for that one time when I saw a cockroach. I shivered. Just the thought of it made me sick. Roses +water +vase=roses in a vase that has water. I went to my computer desk, where the flower vase was that held the other twelve roses. Although not the best place to place them, it was the only place. I'd be damned if I put them downstairs.

My mother would ask about them and question my sexual orientation (again). I wanted to keep it a secret only because I knew for a fact that if I told her she would have an heart attack. I could just hear it now, "G-GAY!? How could my only son be gay!? Who's going to carry on the _Syn _fashion legacy? Ughh!"

I sighed, feeling my stomach giving me a bad vibe, like something bad was going to happen. I heard a knock at my bedroom door.

The door cracked open. "Envy?"I ran to the door, slamming it in the process. I quickly glanced at the time above my , which read 6:12.

"Envy, if you don't want to go, it's okay. We could always go to the movies or something." He whispered the last part, sounding unsure.

"I-it's not that. It's just my room, it's a mess." I lied. My room was the cleanest in the whole estate. Why? Because I'm kinda a neat freak. A kinda big neat freak.

"Okay, but hurry it's already 6:15."

I nodded to myself. "Okay, I'll be right out." I rushed to take a quick look around to see if I needed anything else. Finding nothing, I opened the door and rushed downstairs. Ed was looking at a family photo that originally rested on the coffee table in the living room. He turned and looked into my eyes.

"This is you when you were a baby?" He voice sounded amused and curious at the same time. I felt a light blush tint my pale cheeks. I nodded, unable to answer him. The picture showed my smiling mother while holding a newborn me. That was when she started to slowly make her way into fashion and was still happy with what she accomplished with her life so far.

"I see where you get you looks from." He said lightly as he put back the frame. I knew for a fact that I was blushing even harder, now that he said that.

"Let's go then." I nodded and grabbed my coat from the back of the couch. He opened the door for me. I walked through while he followed me shortly after closing the door.

* * *

Ed drove us to the Valentine's Day dance, which was held at school in the boy's gym. Although I was nervous, I was excited too. It was probably because I was on a date, which I haven't had since _forever._ I stayed close to Ed when we walked in. Students and faculty was still pouring in, talking idly and making sure everything was in order. Soon as we walked through the door, whispers formed predictably. A wave of gossip started to formulate in a matter of seconds. I already prepared myself for this, used to the treatment of being an outcast. But Ed, I just wasn't so sure. He looked nervous but he still stood his ground.

It made me smile.

I held his hand lightly. He looked at me with an hesitant face that quickly grew to be certain. He smiled, too, and held my hand back.

"Hey Ed, over here!" Winry waved us over to a secluded (not that secluded considering so many students in one place) area with a few of her friends. We came over and Ed automatically started to chat with Winry, comfortably. I stayed quiet and leaned against the wall, not really bored. It was a party with people dancing and music blasting. It was hard to listen to what Ed and Winry was talking about, probably even harder if I was Ed, talking to Winry.

I looked around to see if anyone that I knew was around, not that they would talk to me. A couple of my ex-friends were there. Sloth and Lust had their backs turned against me, most likely trying to ignore my presence. Gluttony was stuffing his face with food over at the snack table. The only reason he never talked to me anymore was because Lust threatened that she would stop talking to him. Lust was like a mother to him, ever since his parents died.

"-vy? Envy? Heelloo, Earth to Envy, you there?" Winry was waving her hand in front of my face, trying to gain my attention. I turned to her and nodded. She pointed at Ed, who was talking to one of his many admirers, Rosé, and nodded also.

"So you two are dating, right?" She yelled over the music, smiling brightly. I blushed. Isn't she mad at Ed? After all, she had a _huge _crush on him ever since they were in 3rd grade together.

"I-I wouldn't call it dating. We're just getting to know each other." She laughed, probably not believing my words. Her laughter faded and her expression turned serious.

"The only reason why I haven't kicked Ed's butt into next week is because I understand how he feels. He has a major crush on you and only now found the guts to ask you out. I like him too but when I found out he had eyes for you and only you, I'll admit, I was hurt but I got over it. I know you still feel hurt over your loss over Roy but Ed's way better than that. He would never use you the way he did. He's gentle and considerate. Try to open up and trust him a little more. And long as you don't call him short, you'll be okay." She smiled and winked at me playfully.

My eyes widen with shocked with all the new information on Ed. He really likes me. After all this time, he really liked me. He wouldn't be like Roy and abandon me. He would treat me will respect and not just like another sex doll. My heart started to race with the thought of me and Edward actually being together. Would he really love me like Winry claimed?

Winry grabbed my arm and dragged me over to where Ed and Rosé was talking. In truth, it was only Ed talking. Rosé was just standing close to him, staring at him in wonderment.

"Envy wants to dance with you, Ed." She said as she pulled me closer to him. I was going to decline the thought but instead just sighed. Winry said to be more trusting. To be more trusting I have to be more me. I smirked at Ed, daring him to dance. A light blush stained his cheeks when he murmured a barely audible 'fine'.

I took his hand leading him to the dance floor. Students easily moved out of the way to evade my touch as I swatted my hand for them to move out of our way. Once we finally made it to a corner with a few but not too many students dancing, we just stood there not really doing anything. I was thinking of how I should dance. Ballroom dancing would be just ridiculous while listening to Lady Gaga's Just Dance. I looked around just to find most of everyone was just grinding against each other, baby-making, as they-so-called-it.

"I'm sorry. If I knew this dance would've been like this I wouldn't have asked you to come, at least not here." Ed said regretfully. I shook my head and smiled.

"It's okay. Next time we could go somewhere else." He looked up at me with undisguised shock. He recovered and smiled at me, beautifully.

"Next time then."

* * *

Again, I found myself back home with nothing but my thoughts. Winry was right. I had to be more open, be myself. Ever since Roy, I've been scared to be open, I'll admit. I hated to even think of opening my heart again to anyone. Doing that made the possibility of my heart being shattered again but still clinging on to that false piece of hope that everything was going to be all right. I made a resolution that night, and I planned to stick with it.

To open my heart to Ed and don't ever look back.

I nodded to myself and smiled. Ed was the exact opposite of Roy. He was kind and funny. Short but still lovable. I pictured me hugging a plushie of Ed while he was trying get out of my grasp. Definitely lovable.

Laughing, I realized I had always had a small crush on Ed. In truth, who wouldn't? He was the perfect boyfriend for anyone, male or female. I realized I couldn't stop complementing him. But everything I said was true. He was faultless.

"Envy _dear, _are you home?" My mother was back home from a recent trip to Switzerland. With my mood dampening, I sighed.

'Wicked witch of the west." Was the thought that easily crossed my mind. I sighed again as I got out of my bed. I walked through my open bedroom door and walked down the hall, going downstairs to greet my mother.

"Hey, your back." I said uninterested. She smiled at me blissfully ignorant. She's my mother and all but my love for her started to slowly die. Ever since she started he fashion line, she slowly changed into a perfectionist that frankly scared me.

"I brought back a marvelous leather jacket for you. Come and try it on." She said as she searched through a bag on the living room couch. She pulled out what indeed was a black leather jacket with zipper-like designs that covers the back and front of it. She held it out to me and I took it, jadedly. I put it on and zipped it. It fitted snuggly to the point I felt as if I had a second skin on.

"Wonderful. Turn around." She said as she clapped at yet another great sign of fashion sense. But I'll admit, it wasn't a bad design. Not that I _loved it, _alright. But I wouldn't mind adding it to my wardrobe. I turned, failing in hiding my frown.

"What's wrong, honey? You don't like it?" She asked with barely a trace of distress. It was always like this. Whether I liked it or not, I was keeping it. I hated how she thought she could control me so easily.

"I love it. I just have my mind on something else, nothing big of a concern." I lied while I faked a feeble smile. She fell for it easily.

"Oh okay, honey." She ignored the obvious lie and left to go upstairs, presumably to her bedroom. I ripped off the leather jacket as if it burned my body and chucked it on the floor. I went back to my room, locking the door in the process. I stripped of my clothes. I got clean sleeping clothes from my drawer and put them on. Diving into my bed, I easily shut out the thoughts about my mother. I intended to go asleep smoothly tonight. Instead, I thought about my new life's goal.

To forget about Roy Mustang and be Edward Elric's one and only.

* * *

This is a pathetic excuse for a chapter but hey, what can I say. I'm not use to writing in first person, present tense, and all my beta's are invisible. Well except for one, but anyway, I feel horrible for not updating in so long, but most of my beta's are stuck in wonderland :P. But give me another chance and I'll update a waaay better chapter. So for now, read it and tell me if there are any mistakes becuase I'm pretty sure there's alot.

Sincerely, DanteUesugi


	3. Rose Three

**Twelve Roses**

Rose Three: Misunderstandings

A gasp escapes my throat in shock. She did it. She actually did it. She really went out and obtained a husband, an actual _husband. _Dante never got married before; I mean after all, my father abandoned her when I was only two years old. They weren't married so I'm stuck with my mother's name. But that's one thing I'm happy about. Although I dislike my mother, I _dislike_ my father even more. What type of man left his girlfriend and son and never came back?

"Aaron, Envy. Envy, Aaron." Dante introduced her new husband to me eagerly while I just look at the hand Aaron offers in a silent greeting. Reluctantly I shake his hand, nearly passing out when Aaron pulled me into a life-threatening bear hug.

'_Germs, germs, germs!'_ The thought sprints though my head repeatedly. Even as I try to take a deep breath to calm myself down, I can't. This guy is suffocating me. At the last second when I thought I was going to die, not only by suffocation, but without taking an hour long bathe to cleanse my body, he released me.

"Now I'm officially your father!" Aaron yelled with a toothy grin devouring his slightly wrinkled face. I hold in the urge to vomit. How dare him! Not only does he invade my personal space, but he randomly announces that he's now my father?

"My father died years ago!" I snap. I feel my cheeks flush with surprising anger. Aaron only holds his hands up in front of him in self-defense.

"Fine, I'm not your father. I'll be your step-father instead. Better?" I breathe heavily with my fists clenched in an attempt to calm myself.

"Alright." I pause. "So _mother, _where did you find this one?" She fakes a laugh while her eyes tell me to shut my trap.

"Fine this one? You make it sound like I do this all the time. But if you must know, Aaron and I met while I was taking a lunch break in an absolutely breathtaking café while on my trip in Switzerland. He walked up to me out of nowhere and asked me if he could sit at my table. And well, the rest is history!" She said with a giggle as she clamps on to her new husbands arm.

"That's great, I guess." My shoulders slump as I wonder how this guy could actually like Dante (even I don't like her, and I'm her son!)

"You know what, dear? I have an idea! Why don't two spend the day together, maybe go to the mall or even to the movie theaters." I whip my head in my mother's direction to fast, causing my neck to crack.

"Whoa there, you okay?" Aaron asks most likely referring to my neck. I nod, still looking at my mother.

"I really wish I could go but I can't. I have…a date." Dante gasps while Aaron looks amused. I easily think of two names.

"Oh, what's her name, Envy?" My mother asks, anxious to learn more about her son's girlfriend.

"Yea, what _is_ her name?" Aaron repeats with a creepy smile on his face. Although I knew I will regret it later, I declare my love for an imaginary girl.

"Eden Elric. I can't miss this date with her, not even if I explained the situation," I turned to my mother with a desperate look in my eyes. "I…love her too much." Aaron's stifles his laughter, while my mother just considers me for a moment.

"Well it looks like you're going to have to break an innocent heart today, Envy." She said my name with such malice, it makes me flinch. She leaves, going back to her bedroom upstairs. Aaron clears his throat, gaining my attention. I look over in his direction just in time to see a strange gleam.

"Well let's go then."

Like Dante suggested, we went to the mall (which has a movie theaters in it, AKA two birds with one stone). We enter into the plaza, my sight being drowned in teenage gossip girls, buff teenage guys, emo teenagers, little kids running around with their parents behind them, Edward, and other guys from shco-…wait what?

My eyes drift back to the area Ed and presumably his friends are hanging out, talking and laughing. I don't notice Aaron's glance at me or the look he gives the group I start to stare at.

"Ex-friends?" He catches me off guard with such a nonchalant question. I shake my head and give him a questioning look.

"Why do you ask?" I question him as we walk into Macy's. Well, I actually walk into the store while Aaron just follows me. What can I say; Macy's is always a quite place.

"Your mom told me what happened at school. You know, about you getting 'sick' and your friends not wanting to hang out with you anymore." At 'sick' he did air parenthesis (or whatever they're called), which makes me wonder what exactly did my mother say to him. I ask him.

"She said that you have multiple personality disorder. But, you don't seem to have any alter egos." Again with the nonchalantness (yea I made up a word, so what?). I look at him to see him looking back at me in all seriousness. Before he could say anything, I interrupt him.

"You have the brownest eyes I've ever seen." By the look on his face, it's easy to tell I caught him off guard. He recovers with almost ninja like speed with a knowing smile on his face. I quirk my eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"I just made a thesis based on you so far. Now I just need to prove its right." He smiles seeing how confuse I am. "Whatever." I mutter as I stride down the aisles of men's clothes, none of them catching my violet eyes. Everything here is so bland; it needs more color, at least. Looking over more of the racks, I start to find my mother's collection, Syn. I pass it quickly, like it has some contagious virus. But what I don't notice is how Aaron is watching my every move.

"Let's go somewhere else, it seems like the clothes are too boring for you," Aaron suggest, as if reading my mind. "Let's go to the food court." Never mind. I feel like I have no choice but to say yes, with the way he looked at me and all. I sigh as I run my hands through my hair. Ed has to be there, in the food court. My only salvation is to pray he isn't.

As Aaron and I walk in the food court area, guess what. No Edward! I pat myself on the back for dodging a fatal bullet.

"American or Chinese?" Aaron asks as he looks around to see our options.

"American." I don't even think about asking him how he knew what I liked to eat, already I know my mother most likely told him.

"Burger King it is." I still look over my shoulders, having a peculiar feeling something bad was going to happen.

"Hey Envy!" I face palm myself, cursing the bad luck that's instilled into my family. Edward comes running over and hugs me, knocking the breath out of my lungs. He pulls back with a wide grin on his face.

"I haven't seen you since the Valentine's Day dance. I was wondering if you want to go out tomorrow, again. Maybe we could go to…oh! Who's that?" Ed finally realizes there a third member in the party, a third member who I really want to kill right now. Him and that creepy knowing smile.

"I'm his new step-father, Aaron." Aaron holds out his hand for Ed to shake, which he does hesitantly.

"Edward Elric." Oh. My. God.

"Elric. You didn't tell me your girlfriend has a brother," Aaron jumps in for the kill. "If she looks anything like him, she must be stunning." The expression that washes over Ed's face is a look of pure betrayal and hurt. It feels like a punch to the stomach, making me feel like I could vomit. He quickly laughs it off though, patting me on the back, but the hurt held steadily in his eyes.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend. I, um, have to go." He scurries off as tears start to build in his eyes. I can't do anything other than stand with my fists balled up so tightly they threatened to bleed.

"Wanna talk before this gets out of hand?" Aaron asks me. He voice is laced with sympathy. How dare him.

"Not here." I answer angrily, treading heavily off in the opposite direction Edward went.

* * *

I would like to say I've gotten better with the present tense stuff. There might still be a little bit of mistakes though :P Guess what? It's my birthday! Cha, that's right! Remember this date, for it's the day I actually get to spend the whole day home without any worries. :P But because I'm in the mood, I want you guys to give me some one-shot ideas concerning Fullmetal Alchemist and/or Brotherhood. And since I feel extra happy (heh), you guys can even give ideas for the next chapter ^.^ I actually did a one-shot (I don't know how good it is though) Go ahead and read it on my profile. ~DanteUesugi~


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